Saborío leads RSL by Houston

Robbie Findley scored his first goal of the season just days after being named to the national team’s 30-man roster, and Alvaro Saborio added a brace to lift Real Salt Lake over the Houston Dynamo 3-1 Thursday night at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Real Salt Lake’s first opportunity came in the second minute, but they could not convert. Findley found the back of the net a minute later when he headed in a chipped ball from midfielder Kyle Beckerman to put Houston on its heels early on.

In the next eight minutes, the home side had three more solid chances. On one, Houston goalkeeper Pat Onstad knocked away a Findley header, and the ball went right to the feet of Andy Williams, who fired an enormous blast into the chest of Onstad. Just moments later, Williams put a nice cross into the box to Alvaro Saborio, who couldn’t get it around the goalkeeper.

However, Saborio would get his in the 24th minute. Morales and defender Robbie Russell brought the ball up the right side in tandem. When Morales tried to slip into the box, the Houston backline knocked the ball away, and Saborio pounced on the ball and delivered a laser past traffic and inside the near post.

The opportunity came moments after Houston’s best chance of the half. On the play, Lovel Palmer delivered a cross that found the head of Brad Davis, whose header was denied by Nick Rimando.

Down by two, Houston came out more aggressive in the second half, but it was Real Salt Lake that struck first. In the 60th minute, Morales delivered a free kick from 30 yards out on the left side. Saborio snuck inside the Dynamo defense to meet the ball and easily nodded it past Onstad, giving RSL a 3-0 lead.

Twelve minutes later, Houston got its lone goal of the evening, as Davis slid a ball into Brian Mullan to the left of goal. Mullan cut back to his right foot, causing Russell to slip, and Mullan easily beat Rimando at the far post.

The goal gave Houston some life, and the Dynamo had numerous late opportunities but were unable to convert.